BSC Reunion
by Elmo Monster
Summary: Mallory struggles with life as mother of 6, Dawn's son loves junkfood, Kristy's daughter is painfully shy, and Stacey has an affair with a man who's not who he says he is...Kristy organises a reunion of the BSC, but was it realy such a great idea?
1. Chapter 1

Dear Shannon

I heard from Tiffany that you'd moved to France. How's it going over there? I moved back to Stoneybrook recently, with my husband James, and my daughter Brooklynn. Moving back got me thinking about what things were like when I lived here originally, and then I remembered that club we used to have. I've been talking to Mallory (nee Pike, remember her?) She's Mallory Carr now, and she's following in her mother's footsteps – she has _six_ kids, all under the age of 5. But anyway, I'm sure you'll hear all about them, and maybe even see them, if my next "great idea" comes off!

Here it is: A BSC reunion! Great idea, right? Just like the good old days…Anyway, here's the plan. We contact everyone from the club, and they and their families come to Stoneybrook for a week! We can work out details later, just need to know if you're interested! I know it's a long way for you to come, but maybe you and your husband and children could make a real vacation out of it, and go round some more tourist spots in America?

Well, I have to go pick Brooklynn up from kindergarten. (You'll never guess who her teacher is – Claudia! Yes, The Claudia Kishi!)

Yours, Kristy Matthews

* * *

To: Mary Anne and David Lee  
From: Abigail Stein  
Subject: "Kristy's Great Idea"

Hi Mary Anne!

I guess by now you've heard. The great and mighty Kristy has called us back to Stoneybrook…Are you and David going? I am of course. Being the director of the company means there's no way I can say I can't get the time off and I have to admit I'd like to see everyone again. Of course, I'll see you and David this weekend. Are you bringing the kids with you? Please do, Jonathan's been dying for a chance to play with Connor again. I hope Connor hasn't got too old to play with three year olds!

Right, I'd better get back to work. See you soon!

Abby

* * *

To: Abigail Stein, Stacey McGill  
From:Mary Anne and DavidLee  
Subject: This weekend

Hi, Abby and Stacey!

Just a really brief email while Maya naps and Connor's at school. Abby – of course we're bringing the kids with us! Stacey – How's it going with Jay?

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again at this reunion of Kristy's! I've been back to Stoneybrook to see Dad and Sharon of course, but haven't met up with any of the other ex club members except Kristy, Mallory and Claudia! I hope Shannon comes back to America for it. It would be so awesome to see everyone again!

Well, there goes Maya crying. I better go. See you this weekend! (You're still on for lunch on Friday, Stace?)

Mary Anne

* * *

Dear Kristy

I'm going to be in America for work in about 6 months time. If the reunion is scheduled then, I'm sure I will be able to get a few days off work to come to Stoneybrook. I would like to see everyone again, so I shall do my best. (It's so hard to get into the habit of writing English again! After 5 years here, I think in French!) As for my family – there is none. I have a partner, Henri, who may or may not be able to come. We don't have children and I'm pretty sure that's not on the cards at any time in the future.

Mallory has six kids already? How old is she? 26? And all under 5? That house must be bedlam! How old is Brooklynn? How long have you and James been married? I have so much to catch up on with everybody!

Here's hoping I'll see you soon,

Shannon Kilbourne

* * *

Message on Richard and Sharon Schafer's answering machine:

Hey guys, is me, Dawn. I'm going to another protest this weekend. Can you look after the kids? River said he had heaps of fun at your house last time. He thinks Richard is the coolest guy on earth…I'm not sure why. No offense, Richard. Stormiee Skye had fun too. Please ring me tonight and let me know.

* * *

Note on the Mathews' fridge:

Kristy – I've been called into the office again. I know, I know, its my day off…but I've really got to catch up on this paperwork. I'll see you tonight. Don't wait up, I'll be late. Give Brooklynn a kiss for me – Love, James

* * *

From: Stacey McGill  
To: Mary Anne and David Lee  
Subject: Lunch

Of course I'm still on for lunch! Jay did say he'd come with us, but when he heard it was an old school friend he said he'd leave us to catch up. He's _so_ sweet like that. Anyway, I'm actually at work right now, so I'd better go and make the final decisions on those winter coats coming in now. Fur or no fur? It's such a dilemma!

Stace

* * *

Dear Journal

I can't believe I haven't had a chance to write in here for so long! Even growing up with 7 siblings, I always had time for this…but not anymore. Why didn't Mom warn me about the tiredness, the stretch marks, the mess…and most importantly, how come Mary Anne's been married longer than me, and she's only got 2 children, and I have 6? And one of them's adopted! How does she do it?

* * *

From: Claudia Kishi  
To: Stacey McGill  
Subject: none

Stace! How are the coats coming? With or without fur? Did you make a disicon? I'm doing really well at Kindergarten – but the paperwork is still dificult. I wish I could spell! It would make everything so much esier! I have emproved heaps though! But I think my paperwork makes me look bad. Sigh. It would be much better if I could work on my art fulltime. But never mind. Oh, and you will never guess who is in my class now! Brooklynn Mathews! Oh, but you wont know who she is – she is Kristy's daughter! Kristy Thomas? Well, she is Mathews now of course. They just moved back to Stoneybrook.

Well I better go. I will see you soon, I hope.

Claudia


	2. Chapter 2 Mary Anne

**Author's notes: Thanks to all who reviewed my first chapter! **

**kerok29: Wow, you were quick in working that out! I haven't entirely decided where that story line is going to go (well, I haven't decided where any story line is going to go yet actually!), but I'm hoping Stacey doesn't know either…**

**Angelina Maria: Thanks for the pointer about too many letters at once. I had wondered about that before I posted it, but I find the letters easier to write than dialogue, so I went with it. But from now on I'm going to start each chapter with a letter and then continue in proper "story style" with the reaction of the receiver of the letter. **

**And, if anyone was wondering, I didn't intentionally leave Jessi out of the first chapter, I just forgot her. And Logan. But they'll come into the story as soon as I've figured out a future for them both! I'm almost on holiday now, (4 more exams to go…) So I should be updating this pretty quickly. At least till I get writer's block. So please keep reading and reviewing!**

**And I forgot a disclaimer last chapter so here it is: I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this story if they have been mentioned in the Baby Sitters Club series. **

Dear Mary Anne

Hello, how are you and the family? Richard and I are great, but there's one thing I'm beginning to worry about. River. We're looking after him and Stormiee Skye this weekend, which is fine of course. You know we love to give those kids any bit of security we can. Dawn's wonderful of course, but she's definitely more interested in her protests and organic vegetables then her children…But anyway, what I'm really worried about is what Dawn's going to do when she finds out why River loves Richard so much…I have a sneaking suspicion its not because Richard taught him how to organize his suitcase by colour…I think its more to do with the junk food Richard lets him eat. Its not much of course, just a few candy bars and chips here and there. But Dawn is going to go completely off her head if she finds out. And she's bound to sometime. Mary Anne what am I supposed to do?

Love, Sharon

I sighed as I finished reading my stepmother's letter. My step sister can be a little crazy at times. She just gets so worked up over things – like the time she discovered an organic vegetables shop had used pesticides on their plants…And when she was protesting something, the rest of her life went out the window. This was why she had never been able to hold down a steady job. She had worked in LA as a nanny for a while. But when she didn't turn up to a job for the third time running, with no explanation other than some rambling story about McDonalds trying to take over the world, the agency fired her. I hate to say it, but they had a point. Last time her two children, River and Stormiee Skye, (I don't know where she got those names,) were staying with us a McDonalds ad was on TV. Both of them immediately blocked their ears and closed their eyes. They explained that they didn't want to be brainwashed. I would love to give Dawn a lecture on child raising, but any criticism of her lifestyle tended to start a long and boring ramble about how my brain had obviously been rotted by society or something.

Suddenly I felt a gentle tug on my trouser leg. My daughter, Maya was sitting at me feet. She looked up at me and said

"Tie me down. Please?" I gasped. Her first sentence! At 2 ½, you might expect her to have said a sentence before now, but we had adopted her in Moscow just after her 1st birthday. We weren't surprised it had taken her this long to learn English words. After all she had heard nothing but Russian for the first year of her life. I didn't even care that I had no idea what she was asking me to do – I was just so proud of her!

"David!" I called. "Come here! Maya just said her first sentence!" My husband rushed into the room immediately, Go Fish forgotten. As a doctor at the local hospital, he had missed a lot of our kids' "firsts."

"Tie me down." Maya insisted, holding her foot up to me. She was wearing the new sneakers we'd bought her yesterday.

"Daddy" whined a small voice behind us. It was our 6 year old son, Connor. "You didn't finish our card game!"

David headed off to finish Go Fish while I congratulated Maya on her sentence. She ignored my praise though, and just kept insisting I tie her down. On about her 6th try I finally realised she wanted me to untie her shoes. I complied, and then hurried off to start dinner.

As I chopped potatoes, I thought about the reunion my old friend Kristy was organizing. I was looking forward to seeing everyone. I'd kept in touch with Abby and Stacey, and David and I saw both of them whenever we went to New York. David was often invited to medical conferences there and the kids and I would go with him. Sometimes we stayed with Stacey, and other times we headed out to Long Island and visited Abby and her family. And of course, I looked after Dawn's kids whenever she was off on a crusade and Dad and Sharon couldn't take them in. But the rest of the BSC I hadn't been in regular contact with since High School. I had seen Mallory and Kristy at the grocery store a few times when I was visiting Dad and Sharon in Stoneybrook, but had never met their children or husbands. And as for Jessi and Claudia, I knew Claudia was in Stoneybrook but I'd never seen her, and last I heard Jessi was dancing with some company somewhere.

I threw the potatoes into the pan just as Connor came wandering into the kitchen.

"What's for tea, Mommy?" He asked. I smiled to myself. Until I had Connor I'd never realised how truly beautiful that word was. I loved being a mother. I hadn't minded giving up my career as a nurse for it one bit. I hoped the rest of the ex BSC members were as happy as I was.


	3. Chapter 3 Shannon

**Authors note: Just the usual disclaimer – I don't own anything mentioned here that's mentioned in Ann M Martin's books. Any characters not in there are mine. **

**Thanks for reviewing, Canuck Girl, and kylie90210! **

**If you read this story, please review. **

Dear Shannon

I'm sure we can schedule the reunion for when you're in the USA. And in reply to your questions, yes, Mallory is 26. And yeah, her house is pretty chaotic. I don't know how she does it. You'd think she would have learnt from living with 7 siblings, but I guess she must love it. She and William got married 7 years ago (when Mal was only 19!). I don't think her parents were too happy, but there wasn't a lot they could do. She had her first child two years later, and since then they've been coming regularly. (Except for the year before last, she missed that one, but made up for it by having twins the next year.) So in their house they've got William, Mal, (of course), Stephanie, (5) Kate, (4) Mark, (3) Devon and Jennifer (the twins, 1 ½) and Lisa (4 months). I really don't know how they do it.

As for me, James and I got married the year after Mallory. Brooklynn is 5 and absolutely adorable. Don't even get me started. You'll see her at the reunion anyway – if she doesn't run off and hide with all the people there. She's incredibly shy. I have no idea where she gets it from – neither James or I are shy, and its so frustrating pulling her off my legs any time we leave her at home with anyone else, or take her to kindergarten. But I'll get her out of it somehow.

Now, come on, don't just leave me hanging, tell me about you! And what do you mean you don't think you're going to have kids? How can you not want kids? You're an ex BSC member!

Better go, I'm relief teaching at SMS today. Hope to hear all about you soon!

Kristy

* * *

I sighed as I folded Kristy's letter and slipped it back into its envelope. Across the breakfast table my friend Èlodie looked up from her croissant.

"Bad news?" She asked lifting an eyebrow. I've roomed with Èlodie for 5 years now – pretty much since I moved here from America. We were both working as interpreters for the same government department, and her flatmate had recently gone to England. When she heard I was still living in a motel, she offered me the second bedroom at her apartment. We both got on really well. We are very similar in many ways – we're both highly focused, career orientated women. We share a love of languages and watch the same TV shows, and read the same books. We have arguments like all roommates, but they never last long.

"Let me guess…" Èlodie continued. "It was your mother?" Any letters from my mother tends to get me sighing or moaning about something she's said.

"She's asked you when you're going to settle down and start a family again, hasn't she?" Èlodie said sympathetically. That's another similarity. Our mothers are both constantly harping on about weddings and how we need to settle down with "a nice young man."

"Close." I replied. "It was an old friend of mine. She's demanded why I don't want kids."

"So?" Èlodie asked. "Just tell her why. You don't have a problem telling anyone else why."

"Kristy's not a person you just tell things to." I said. "I really don't know if I want to go back there."

Not surprisingly, Èlodie looked confused.

"Back where?"

"Stoneybrook. Where I grew up. Some friends of mine are organizing a reunion."

Now here's where we are totally different. Èlodie went to school in Paris, where she still lives. So her best friends are still close and she sees them regularly. She would never understand that I never belonged properly to the BSC in the first place, and that I would be even more out of place now. By the sounds of things they all had children. And were married. And some of them still lived in the small town they grew up in, where as I had moved on. I lived in one of the biggest cities in the world, and I loved it. I knew I had changed since middle school and I was happy with who I was now. I didn't want to go back and feel even more like a fish out of water than I had with them back in middle school.

Èlodie now looked even more confused. "You don't want to go back?" She asked slowly.

"No." I admitted. "I like where I am now." Now, poor Èlodie looked totally confused.

"But you're not going back for good!" She exclaimed. "You leave Paris for work all the time!"

"Yes, but I haven't gone back to Stoneybrook since I left. And I'm not sure I want to now."

It's true too. For 5 years I have managed to dodge going home. I have met my parents in various other cities in America, always coming up with some reason not to go back to Stoneybrook. But now there was no way out. I sighed again.

The door opened and a small, dark haired woman breezed in, holding a small child by the hand and a baby in her other arm. Èlodie jumped up to take the baby, exclaiming "Eva! You're early!"

We laughed. Eva is never early any more, with two small children to get ready whenever she goes out. Now, I hate to say it, but Eva's one of the reasons I've decided I don't want children. Back when all three of us, Èlodie, Eva, and I, were starting out as interpreters we had talked about children. All of us were at the "maybe" stage. We had figured we had plenty of time to decide, and we had reassured each other that having children did not mean we had to give up our careers. Eva had got married a few years ago, still undecided on the children issue. Then without warning, Eva announced she was pregnant. The plan was for her to take a few months off to have the baby, and then she would come back to work and leave the baby with a nanny. Her husband owned a chain of stores across France, so she didn't have to come back for financial reasons. She just loved the work. But then she had Nicolas, and that all changed. We were shocked when she announced she wasn't coming back. I know it's not all that unusual for a woman to decide to give up work for good to be a mother. But Eva was the best interpreter in our department. Having been born in Germany, with an English mother and a German father, she grew up bilingual. She moved to France as a child, and so was soon trilingual, and to add to that she had learned Italian and Spanish at school and Japanese at university. But I doubted she'd used a Japanese word in years, and not a whole lot of Italian or Spanish.

Ok, I know that's her choice, even if I don't agree with it. But that's one of the reasons I don't ever want to have kids. I would never want to let my years of learning go to waste like that, using my Spanish for nothing more than "I'd like to book two rooms for three weeks please," or other tourist phrases. And I have to admit, I wondered how fulfilling she found her life now, compared to work. But I knew the rest of the ex BSCers wouldn't understand that. Back in school they had all known they wanted children. But while I enjoyed babysitting, and I even enjoy spending time with Eva's children, I'm always glad to hand them back.

I was brought back to the present by the mention of Stoneybrook in Eva and Èlodie's conversation.

"Yeah, Shannon's friends from school are having a reunion. She doesn't want to go though."

I sighed. "Can we just drop it?" I asked. I was relieved when they turned to other subjects. Now I could forget about it too.


	4. Chapter 4 Jessi

**A/N: Thanks for reviewing,****Der Blaue Reiter, Ottid, and BWitchedNSYNClover. I love getting reviews so please keep them coming! I'm also open to suggestions on plot - especially a future for Logan, which I have no ideas for yet! I'm not entirely sure where this story's going, a part from the fact it's going to have lots of drama at the reunion! **

**I know lots of fanfics have Jessi getting injured and being unable to dance, but since I know nothing about dance i needed something to get away from that angle. And I have no idea if dancers often tear their ACLs, but I don't know anything about dancing injuries, so i just picked one thatI figure could happen, and that I have seen happen before (not to a dancer though, but close enough...) **

**Please, if you read this story, review it!**

**Just a quick disclaimer: All BSC characters in this story do not belong to me. Or anyone else mentioned in the series who is also mentioned in here. Now, on with Chapter 4!  
**

Dear Jessi

You may have heard by now that the BSC is having a reunion! The dates aren't quite sorted out yet, but everyone is very enthusiastic about it! I hope you can come. I'm not sure about everyone else, but it's looking like we'll get everyone back in good old Stoneybrook! I can't believe how many of us I've completely lost touch with! So anyway, what's happening with you now? Are you still involved in ballet?

Sorry to leave this so short, but it's so hard to know what to say when I haven't seen you since high school! And we didn't see much of each other then did we? Let me know about whether you'll be able to make it to the reunion. We're hoping to have it in about 6 months when Shannon will be in the States (she's living in Paris at the moment).

Yours,

Kristy Mathews

* * *

I looked again at the letter then I shoved it in my bag and headed out of the changing rooms. Half an hour later I was dancing across the stage, practicing my company's latest ballet. I was landing after a huge leap across the stage when it happened. My knee twisted beneath me as I touched the ground. A sharp pain shot up my leg momentarily, then it was gone. However, my leg could no longer hold me up and I collapsed onto the floor. I closed my eyes. No. This was not happening to me. I'd worked too hard, too long to get where I was for it to all be spoiled by one lousy leap.

A few days later I was sitting in my doctor's office, awaiting my scan results. The past days were a blur of worrying. I hoped desperately that this was not the end of my career, but a small setback on my road to stardom.

"Miss Ramsey," Dr Geuddes began. "I'm afraid you've torn your anterior cruciate ligament. I doubt it will ever be strong enough to dance again."

I gasped. Never dance? I'd been dancing for 22 years! What would I do if I didn't dance?

"There's absolutely nothing you can do?" I asked, tears welling up in my eyes.

"Well, you'll need a knee reconstruction." He replied. "But I don't think that's going to be enough. It simply won't hold up to the rigors of dancing."

Back in my apartment that evening, I thought about leaving the Washington Ballet. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do. I couldn't do anything _but_ dance. I had no training beyond high school other than Ballet, and if I had to leave it I wanted to leave it for good. It would be too painful to see others enjoy what I no longer could. I sighed. Then, wanting a distraction, I reached for the phone. I paused. Who could I ring? All my friends were dancers. Then I remembered my letter. Kristy had included her address and phone number on a slip of paper in the envelope. (She's so organized.)

I dialed the unfamiliar number and waited while the phone rang.

"Hello, James Mathews speaking."

"Um, hi." I began nervously. Did I really want to chat with Kristy after all? But I couldn't back out now. "Is Kristy there please?"

"Sure, I'll just get her."

A moment later Kristy was on the phone. "Hello?" She didn't sound much different than in high school.

"Hi Kristy, its Jessi. Jessi Ramsey."

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed! "Jessi, hi! How are you?"

"Well," I began. "Where do I start?"

"You sound pretty blue." Kristy commented.

"I'm not blue, I'm black," I joked weakly.

Kristy laughed. "But seriously, you don't sound overjoyed," she continued.

I sighed. Again. I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

"I tore my ACL," I explained. "I can't dance anymore." That's when the full enormity of my situation hit me. I was never going to dance again. I started to cry.

"Listen," I managed to choke out. "I'll call you back some other time, when I - "

"Sure, that's fine, call anytime." Kristy said.

I hung up the phone and looked around my apartment. Suddenly, my life seemed so empty. What was in it apart from ballet?


	5. Chapter 5 Kristy

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! keep them coming! Well, there's not much else to say, just that I don't own the BSC etc. etc. But you already knew that right?**

Dear Kristy

Congratulations on your marriage, and daughter. I'm sure she will grow out of her shyness at some stage. Perhaps it's just a phase. As for me, (seeing as how you didn't think I gave you enough information the first time round!), I work as an interpreter for a government department and really enjoy it. I travel a lot with my job, particularly to English speaking countries as I'm one of the few native English speakers in our department. Consequently, there is no way I could even think about having children without giving up my job – I would certainly never want to put them in someone else's care for long periods of time. I do have a fiancé, Henri Chapin, who is a lawyer. He also works long hours, and is devoted to his job, which is why we haven't got around to marrying yet despite having been dating for the past four years. Henri also wants to get really settled in his firm so that we are more financially secure and can afford to buy a nice apartment here. We have discussed the children issue, and he agrees completely with me. Besides, it looks like Mallory's adding to the world population enough on her own! (Just kidding, don't mention that comment to her!)

Now, you still haven't told me much about you or any of the other ex-club members! I'd love to hear about everyone else, as I've completely lost touch with all of you!

Hope to hear from you soon,

Shannon

* * *

I re-read Shannon's letter for what seemed like the eightieth time today. I'd had a lot of time on my hands that evening. James and I had been going to go out to dinner in Stamford, but James had had to work late and had canceled at the last minute. I was furious, partly because I'd been looking forward to it and partly because it was getting embarrassing canceling our babysitters all the time. Lucy Newton had been very polite about it, but I could sense she was annoyed that out of the last four sitting times we'd had set up for her, only one had actually happened. 

I pushed thoughts of James far from my mind and thought about Shannon. She seemed to be turning into a workaholic too. I still couldn't quite believe she didn't want kids. Surely she'd change her mind sometime. Yes, that was it. She just hadn't got all maternal yet. By her thirties, she would be. She seemed to be much more cynical than she had been in high school though. For the first time I began to wonder if this reunion was really such a great idea. What if we had all just changed too much to get along anymore?

I pushed those thoughts away too, and instead thought Jessi's phone call last night. I didn't actually know what an ACL was, but it was obviously a very serious injury. I wondered what Jessi was doing with her life, apart from dancing. Suddenly, I felt very despondent. How had everyone managed to drift so far from each other? Jessi, Logan, and Shannon especially. I guess Logan wasn't very surprising. After he and Mary Anne broke up for the last time in high school, he didn't really have much to tie him to us. Consequently, no one knew where he was now. I kept meaning to ring his parents and ask them for his address so I could contact him about the reunion, but so far I hadn't. But Jessi and Shannon – why had no one kept in contact with them? Had they deliberately removed themselves from us, or had it all just been unintentional? I'd been getting a sense of reluctance from Shannon's letters. It was almost like she didn't want to come back. Jessi, well, I guessed she had just become so involved in her dancing that keeping in touch with us was the last thing on her mind. As for the rest of us – well, since moving back to Stoneybrook I'd seen Claudia when I was picking Brooklynn up, and I'd seen Mallory a few times, but never actually sat down with either of them. I still kept in contact with Mary Anne, but that was all. I knew she emailed Abby and Stacey, and saw them often, and I knew through her a little about them. But the last time I'd seen either of them had been Abby's wedding, 5 years ago. How much had we all changed? Would we still have anything to talk about? Or would we all just sit there and stare at each other, occasionally making inconsequential remarks about the weather? I hoped not.

I gave myself a mental shake. I was being so despondent lately. I wondered why. My life was fine. Better than fine in fact, I reassured myself. I had a wonderful husband, even if he did work too much, and a wonderful daughter. I remembered back to when Brooklynn was little, and James didn't work so hard. Maybe that was it. Maybe he needed something new and exciting to get him to work less and spend more time at home with us. I thought some more. My friends used to call me the "ideas machine" back in middle school. There weren't a lot of problems I couldn't fix back then – there must be a solution to this one now. Then it occurred to me. We'd always wanted more kids. And Brooklynn was six now, so maybe it was time to have another one? I decided to talk about it with James when he returned.

That problem dealt with, I turned to a much easier one – accommodation for the reunion. Mallory and William said they could squeeze in another couple of people. It couldn't be anyone with a family though, as the house was crowded enough already and really couldn't cope with another child. So Shannon, Stacey, or Jessi could stay there, hmm…Stacey should stay with Claudia, Shannon and Jessi with Mallory, unless Shannon wanted to stay with her parents. (The Ramseys had left Stoneybrook a few years ago.) Dawn could stay with her parents, I assumed, and Mary Anne too, if they could cope with 4 children and a spouse in the house. Which left Abby and her family, and Logan. I figured we could squeeze them in, unless Logan had done a Mallory and had umpteen kids. Which reminded me, I had to get Logan's address. I wandered into the kitchen and picked up the phone smiling. It was nice to have a problem I could solve for once.


	6. Chapter 6 Stacey

**A/N: Hey, sorry this has taken so long. I'm not even sure how long its been since I've updated. I had writers block - I did actually finish a chapter, then I sent it to a friend and when she refused to comment on it, I realised it must be pretty bad. And rereading it, I was hugely embarrased at how awful it was. So I rewrote most of it, and here it is at last! Its really short, so sorry about that too, but I;m nhot good with writing romantic scenes!**

From: Claudia Kishi  
To: Stacey McGill  
Subject: none

Hey Stace! I am so looking ford to this reunion of Kristy's! I haven't seen so many of us ex-members for so long. I don't even know what Shannon and Jessi and Logan are doing now. Come to think of it, does anyone know where Logan is? I no he was only an asoshiate member, but he shuld still be there, at leest for part of it.

Anyway, how are you? And most importantly, how is it going with Jay? I hate to say it, but are you sure hes trustworthee? I mean, he hasn't even told you where his appartment is, and how long have you been dating him? Well, I beter go, I have just realized I have run out of milk.

Claudia

* * *

I barely registered the fact I had an email as I closed down my computer. It could wait till tomorrow. I only had a couple of hours to get home and get ready for my date that night with Jay. As I cleared up my desk I wondered where we would go tonight. Then I thought of something even more important – what would I wear?

I hurried out of my office and hailed a cab. I got home to my apartment building and dashed through the doors and into a lift. Once in my apartment I headed straight for my wardrobe. I changed my mind about a million times before finally settling on a little (and I mean _very_ little) black dress. That decided, I started digging through the cupboard besides the bathroom. Most visitors to my apartment assume it's a linen cupboard – they're always very surprised when they open it to find shoe boxes instead of sheets. The linen is kept in a kitchen cupboard. I just don't have enough space. I finally settled on a pair of heels and ran into the shower.

An hour later, there was a knock on the door. Jay and I have been going out long enough for the doorman to know to let him straight up. I composed myself hurriedly (having only just finished putting on my make up) and answered the door.

"Hey Stace," he said smiling at me. I smiled back. After six months of dating, I still hadn't got used to that smile.

"Where are we going tonight?" I asked

"This new place I found. It's called Legato, and the food is excellent."

Jay knows the best places to eat in the city. He's a great cook too. I know because he's cooked dinner at my apartment a few times.

"And after that," Jay continued, "Maybe we could go back to my place?"

I smiled. At last! I knew I didn't have anything to be suspicious about, no matter what Claudia said. After tonight, I'd be able to give her a full description of his apartment, and she would stop worrying about me. Just because her last boyfriend had dumped her completely out of the blue, didn't mean I couldn't trust men!

After dinner, I was in Jay's place at last. I wandered round, admiring the artwork on the walls, until I got to one picture that just seemed…out of place. It was a large action shot of some basket-baller.

"I thought you hated basket ball." I called to Jay, who was in the kitchen looking for glasses.

"I do." He replied, sounding bemused.

"Um, then why…" my voice trailed off. _Stop it Stacey_. I scolded myself. _You sound like a the Spanish inquisition or something!_

Jay came into the room. "Oh that?" He asked. He laughed, a little nervously, it seemed. "You know how it is…roommates don't always agree on interior decorating!"

I smiled. I really needed to stop being so suspicious. I was letting Claudia's insecurities get the better of me.

Jay lent casually against the door that led to his bedroom. "Coming with me, darling?" he asked.

I turned away from the photo and followed him in.


	7. Chapter 7 Abby

**A/N Ok, this has been a long time coming. I've been away for a few weeks and had pretty sporadic internet access so haven't been able to update. And I know I said I'd do Mallory's chapter next, but its at home on my computer there, which I don't have access to for another** **couple of days, so here's Abby instead. I haven't edited this chapter as much as I usually do because I just wanted to get it posted, so I hope everything's ok in it. **

**Please keep up the reviewing! They're awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I dont own the characters here that appear in the BSC series.**

From: Mary Anne and David Lee  
To: Abigail Stein  
Subject: Reunion

Hi Abby

How's it going? I got a phone call from Kristy today. She's going nuts organizing this reunion. Mainly the accommodation. I suggested she just leave it until everyone arrived. I mean we already know Shannon's booked into a motel, Dawn and I will be at our parents, and really, most of us can figure our own accommodation out! Anyway, she did not like my suggestion at all. She ranted and raved about what chaos it would be if it wasn't arranged in the next 10 seconds. I'm already getting second thoughts about this get together now. If Kristy's going to be rushing round organizing everything, I'm not sure I want to be there.

I hope this doesn't sound too much like moaning. I know someone has to organize things, but Kristy seems to be going completely over the top with this. Oh well. See you in a couple of weeks!

Mary Anne

* * *

I smiled to myself as I read Mary Anne's email. It sounded like Kristy hadn't changed a bit. I was at home, sitting in my favourite armchair, my feet up on a foot stool and my laptop on my lap. My 3 year old son Jonathan was watching TV in front of me. I'd been home for 3 days now, while he was sick with the flu. I was clicking through my emails, trying to keep up with what was going on in the office when the phone rang.

I sighed, shifted the lap top and headed into the kitchen, trailed by Jonathan.

"Hello, Abby Stein speaking."

"Hello, it's Melinda Gable here from the hospital. Dr Collins has received your test results from the lab. He'd like you to make an appointment to discuss them with him."

I bit my lip nervously. "Can you tell me anything about the results now?" I asked. I was surprised at how firm my voice sounded.

"I'm sorry," Melinda said firmly. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about your results."

"But if he wants to see me about them, then that's not good, is it? Does that mean anything?" Aware I was beginning to sound panicked and hysterical, I continued. "If they were fine, he'd just tell me over the phone wouldn't he?"

"I don't know, Mrs Stein." Melinda said calmly. "All I was told was to ask you to set up an appointment as soon as possible. Would sometime this week be good for you?"

_No!_ I wanted to scream. _This week's not good. Next week's not good. The week after that isn't too great either._ No time would be good to hear some of the worst news of my life.

That evening I told my husband Josef.

"You never know." He said optimistically. "It could just be hospital procedure, telling people in person."

I looked at him wordlessly. He smiled. It didn't quite meet his eyes, but I knew he was trying to reassure me.

"You could be right." I acknowledged grudgingly.

He reached over and took my hand. "Whatever happens, we'll get through it. Together."


	8. Chapter 8 Mallory

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, keep it up! Here's Mallory's Chapter, Claudia, Dawn, and Logan should be coming soon, in that order. Then (hopefully) everything will be nicely set up for a dramatic reunion!**

Dear Mallory

Hi, how are you? It's been so long since I've heard from you – at least six months, I think! I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, about what I really want out of life, now that I can't dance. I think that's why I'm looking forward to this BSC reunion so much. I want to remember a time when dance wasn't everything to me, and I guess be reminded that I do have other talents –

* * *

"Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY!" I sighed. Jessi's letter had arrived 3 days ago, and I still hadn't read it. My eldest daughter, Stephanie, rushed into the room.

"Kate's cheating!" She cried. I sighed again. But before I could say anything, an ear splitting shriek came down the stairs. Lisa was awake. Again. I'd only put her down for the night half an hour ago.

"William," I called into the kitchen, "Can you get Lisa?"

He came into the living room, holding a tea towel in one hand and a plate in the other. "I'm kind of busy," he said, adding pointedly "No one has washed the dishes for three days now."

I gritted my teeth and started to climb the stairs. "While you're up there, you should put Mark to bed," William called after me. Muttering under my breath I went into our bedroom and picked up the screaming Lisa. She's the youngest in our family, at four months. Then there's the twins, Jennifer and Devon who are one and a half, Mark who is three, Kate who's four and Stephanie, who is the eldest at 5. Six kids all under 5 was just too much sometimes. My mom comes in and helps a couple of days a week, but refuses to do more, on the basis that she plans on enjoying herself now she's finally got all 8 of us out from under her feet. I guess she has a point, but that doesn't stop me from wishing we had more help.

It was past midnight when I finally got to bed that night. As I pulled back the covers, I realised I still hadn't read Jessi's letter. Oh well. It would just have to wait even longer.

The next morning I tried to read Jessi's letter during breakfast, but it was complete pandemonium. We had run out of cheerios and Kate was refusing to eat anything else. Stephanie was worrying over being late for Kindergarten like last week, Mark was running round and round the table making airplane noises, stopping occasionally to grab a bite of toast, Jen and Devon were making their usual mess in their high chairs, and Lisa was screaming for no apparent reason.

I was trying to calm Lisa, and wipe Jen's snotty nose at the same time when the phone rang. I could still hear the shower running upstairs so I knew Will wasn't going to answer it. As I stood up, I looked at my children and snapped,

"Kate, fine. Don't eat any breakfast. But you're not getting anything more until morning snack time. You won't be late for Kindergarten Steph, Grandma's coming remember? She'll drive you over as soon as she arrives. Sit down and eat your breakfast RIGHT NOW Mark, or you will NOT be getting a snack this morning."

With all of them staring wide eyed at me I stepped over a pile of toys lying on the floor and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is that you Mallory? It's Kristy. I'm just calling about the reunion - "

"Listen, this isn't the best time for - "

"Oh, it'll only take a minute." Kristy barreled on. "I just need to know how many people you can have to stay over the weekend."

"None." I snapped. "We don't have a guest room, remember?"

"But, you said you could squeeze someone in when I asked you before."

"Well I can't," I said coldly. "I've thought it over some more and it's just impossible."

"Thank you very much," Kristy said sarcastically. "You have completely screwed up my accommodation arrangements for everyone."

"Maybe," I interrupted, "you should have checked with me BEFORE you made your arrangements? And has it occurred to you that people can make their own plans? We're adults now Kristy. Not little middle schoolers you can boss round any more."

"Fine." Kristy said tightly. "I'll call you back sometime when you're not in such a bad mood."

"Fine." I snapped. Then I slammed the phone down. "Good luck finding me in a good mood though," I said to the wall in front of me.


	9. Chapter 9 Claudia

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews - keep it up! I love reviews!**

**Now, I have no idea what TV channels are called in the USA, so you'll just have to make do with channel 6 in this story. Its not a crucial point though. And I'm just assuming that every country has cheesy day time talk shows and hostpital drama shows. **

**Hope you all like this new chapter! Sorry itdoesn't give you much info on Claudia, butI'll incorporate her back story into the reunion. There's not an awful lot there at the moment though! **

Messages on Claudia's Answer phone:

"Hi Claudia, it's Kristy Mathews here. I was planning on talking to you when I picked Brooklynn up today but Mrs Sykes said you were out with the flu. Hope you feel better soon. Anyway, just ringing to check how many people you can have stay with you for the reunion. If you could ring me as soon as possible that would be great."

"Hi Claudia, Kristy again. I know you can't be feeling too good right now but I really need to know how many people you can accommodate for this reunion. Please ring me when you can."

"It's me again. I'm desperately trying to figure out where everyone can stay. I need to know how many can stay with you. Ring me asap."

"Claudia. Ring me."

* * *

I groaned as I listened to my messages. I really didn't feel like ringing Kristy. Honestly, I sleep for 4 hours and wake up to this!

The phone rang, sending a jolt of pain through my aching head. I didn't bother picking it up. Instead I stood there in the kitchen, holding my glass of water as the answer phone picked up and Kristy's voice filled the room. She was barely containing her irritation.

"Claudia. I need to know who can stay with you. Call me or I'm coming round."

Then she hung up. Hastily, I reviewed my options. Then I sighed, and picked up the phone.

"Matthew's residence."

"Hi Kristy it's Clau-"

"So you finally decided to call huh? Have you got any idea how much time I have wasted today because I couldn't finalise the plans for accommodation!"

"Kristy, calm down. It will sort itself out. We're adults now. We can organize ourselves."

"First I called Mallory and she said she can't take anyone," Kristy continued. "And now you ignore my messages! And I still can't find Logan!"

"I was asleep," I retorted. "I feel awful, so forgive me if your damn reunion isn't the first thing on my mind right now."

Kristy took a deep breath. "Ok." She said evenly. "I'm sorry. I'm just stressed, that's all. So, how many can you have to stay?"

I thought of my home. It was a small, 2 bed roomed house, but considering it was only the weekend and I had a sofa that unfolded into a bed, I replied with "I've got a spare double bed in my guest room and a sofa bed. So one couple and a single person."

"Great," Kristy replied briskly. "Abby and her family can stay with you then. She's got 2 children, but the youngest is only 6 months so she'll be able to sleep in crib in your spare room. Mary Anne and Dawn are staying with their parents, and so is Stacey, obviously. Jessi and Shannon can stay here, and Logan too. If I can find him, that is."

"Great," I said wearily. "Nice to know you've got everyone organized."

"Well someone has to." Kristy replied irritably. "Honestly, you and Mallory seem to think that an event like this can just happen! Things have to be organized, or you'll have chaos, and then - "

"Ok, ok," I interrupted hurriedly. "I'll talk to you later, I'm going to back to bed now."

"Right," Kristy replied. "Just so long as you're at my house at 4 in the afternoon this Friday. Everyone's coming over then."

"Fine. Bye." I said, hanging up before I got more lectures on the need for organization.

I wandered into my lounge, and flopped listlessly onto the couch. I picked up the remote and turned the TV on. I was flicking aimlessly through channels when something caught my attention. It was a talk show, and the host was leaning forward to talk to an attractive man who looked vaguely familiar.

"So, Mr Bruno," The host was saying, "Tell me about your new role on _Drama in Ward 6_"

"Please, call me Logan," The man said, with a charming smile. "I play Jake Robins, a coma patient. It's not as challenging as I'd like, but it's certainly a step up from my last part on the show."

"Oh?" The host said inquiringly. "Who did you play?"

"Well, I started off with a couple of walk on parts. I'm hoping now I've got my foot in the door, I'll begin to get more parts, possibly with _Drama in Ward 6_, or maybe another show."

I stared at the TV incredulously. Logan Bruno? A TV star? Well, maybe star wasn't quite the right word. Actor was closer to the truth.

The host was moving onto different subjects now. "You've been in the news a lot lately Logan. What do you have to say about the suggestion you're having a relationship with Parker Lowe?"

Logan considered carefully before he answered. "Parker's a good friend of mine, and a brilliant person. But we haven't defined our relationship. We just want to see how things develop."

Hmm, I thought. Parker Lowe…the name was oddly familiar. Then I remembered the guy who had been all over the magazines last month. Some English actor. His name was Parker Lowe wasn't it? Then I gasped. "Parker Lowe is gay?" I said to myself. And then, "LOGAN'S gay!" Wow. I never would have picked that up back in school! I raced into the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Hello, Kristy Mathews speaking."

"Turn on your TV! Now!" I commanded.

"Claudia! I don't have time! Do you have any idea what I have to do today? I've got to organize food, a baby sitting schedule for the reunion, ring Lucy Newton to cancel again, clean the house, make dinner,"

"Logan's on," I interrupted. "Channel 6!"

"What!" Kristy exclaimed. "Logan Bruno?"

"Yes, turn it on!" I said impatiently. I heard a door open as Kristy walked out of her kitchen and into the lounge, then I heard the TV come on.

"Oh my gosh! It's him! I have to contact the studio! I better get off the phone. Talk to you later, Claud."

Then there was a click. I smiled to myself, pleased one thing had been sorted out for Kristy. As annoying as she could get, I was pleased there was one less thing for her to complain about on the day.


	10. Chapter 10 Logan

**A/N: Just one more chapter til the reunion! This one starts off slightly differently, without a letter at thestart.I'm hoping to getDawn's chapter up in the next day or so because I want toget onto the reunion! Thanks for all the reviews I've been getting,keep it up!**

I was walking down the corridor at the studio where I had just filmed an interview on a day time talk show. I smiled satisfactorily to myself. The host had tried to trip me with a couple of questions about me and Parker, but I hadn't given them any more information then they knew already. Parker would be pleased. I smiled even more broadly when I thought of Parker. I'd never felt like this about any other person. Parker was –

"Mr Bruno!" Someone called after me. I turned around and saw a woman running after me.

"Someone left a message for you in the office," She explained, shoving a piece of paper into my hand. "An old school friend."

I smiled. Parker had warned me about "old friends" suddenly wanting to rekindle relationships once you had become rich and famous. Well, I wasn't rich, but I was certainly more famous than I used to be. I looked at the paper the woman had shoved into my hand. It read:

* * *

_Kristy Matthews_ Telephoned: _Logan Bruno_

Regarding:_BSC reunion weekend. This Friday. Call her at _

_KL 5-4063 anytime. Partner and family welcome._

* * *

I frowned slightly. What was I doing this Friday? I decided I better check Parker hadn't organized anything. I pulled out my cellphone, and flipped through my contacts.

"Hello, Parker Lowe speaking."

"Darling, it's Logan. I'm just ringing about this Friday. Are we doing anything?"

"Well I have plans. I'm meeting with my interior designer in the morning, and then my parents are leaving for England that evening." Parker sighed. "I'm going to miss them."

"You're not getting second thoughts about staying in America, are you?" I asked worriedly.

"Of course not! Just a wee bit of homesickness that's all. I'll get over it. Why did you want to know?"

"Oh, there's this reunion weekend some old friends of mine are planning. They only managed to track me down now. But if your parents are leaving, I'll skip it and - "

"Nonsense!" Parker said briskly. You can come say good bye to them on Thursday, fly to the reunion on Friday, and I'll come and join you on Saturday."

"Well…" I said slowly. "That could work. I wouldn't want to be the only one who didn't turn up."

"Great. Where is it?"

"Um, I don't know." I confessed. "I'll call Kristy and ring you back."

"Kristy? A girl?" Parker asked.

"Er, yeah. They're all girls actually. It's this club we used to have back in middle school, and - "

"I can see you hanging out with a bunch of girls actually." Parker commented. "Discussing lipstick, and clothes, and boys…"

I laughed. "I better go. I should ring Kristy. I'll call you back tonight."


	11. Chapter 11 Dawn

**A/N: Ok, this is another short one. I had a hard time writing from Dawn's point of viewfor some reason, andi want to get on to the reunion, so I hurried this one along a bit. Hope you all enjoy it!**

**And just because we haven't one of theses for a while: Disclaimer - All characters which appear in the BSC series aren't mine. **

**Please read and review!**

Dear Dawn

How are you and the children? I'm looking forward to the reunion. It'll be almost like old times, all the club together and us staying with Dad and Sharon. I must say Kristy's getting very stressed over the whole thing. She was practically in hysterics over the phone the other day. Something to do with Mallory backing out on her.

* * *

I put Mary Anne's letter to one side and sighed. I really didn't care about Kristy and her hysterics. I had much worse things to worry about. Firstly, something was eating our vegetables. At this rate, we were going to have to buy them from the organic shop in town, which I had discovered last year had used pesticides on their crop. Actually, I reflected, we wouldn't be able to buy them from there. After my protest, the owner had told me never to "darken the door of his shop again." Ok, maybe setting the shop on fire wasn't the best way to show my anger over the sprays. But he completely over reacted. It's not like I did any _long-lasting_ damage. It looks totally good as new now that he's rebuilt the front wall.

Secondly, I had discovered River eating a Twinkie yesterday. I guess all my lectures about rotting his teeth, destroying his brain, and being used by corporations didn't really sink in. Next thing I know he'll be eating at McDonalds.

My reflections were interrupted when my best friend Sunny came in. She and her son Skip have been living with me for a couple of months now. She had some issues with her landlord. She says she's going to find a new place, but so far she hasn't. I don't really mind. It's nice having some adult company. Since Stormiee Skye's father left 2 years ago I've lived alone with my son River, who's four, and my daughter Stormiee Skye, who's three. I used to work as a nanny, but now I live on money from River's father, who's a lawyer. I never see him, but he sends his check every month. I think he's worried that if he doesn't I'll go tell his wife about me.

"So," Sunny began, leaning against the doorframe. "You'll be gone for a week, right?"

"Yeah. If I'm going all the way across the country, I might as well make it worthwhile."

She nodded. "Figured out what's eating the carrots yet?" I wasn't surprised by her switch in topic. She never stayed on one topic for long.

"No," I replied. "But I'm more worried about the Twinkie incident."

Sunny shrugged. "It's just a phase," she assured me. "Skip went through a period of junk food. Once I told him about what additives, preservatives and sugar do to your body he stopped. He's never been near a Twinkie since."

"I've already told him about the additives and stuff," I protested. "He says if he doesn't eat too much, nothing will happen to him."

"Well who did he hear that from?" Sunny asked. "You home school them, everyone he spends time with shares our views…except…" She said slowly.

"Mary Anne and Richard." I said flatly. She nodded.

"Just tell them you don't appreciate them meddling with your parenting." Sunny suggested. "It's not like they're blood relatives or anything. They don't really have a right to contradict what you tell your children."

I gritted my teeth. Why did my family not have any faith in my ability to bring up my children?


	12. Chapter 12 Kristy

**A/N: Oh wow, I've had this on my computer for weeks...I thought I'd already posted it! I've been pretty busy with school starting for the year, and the homework is piling on already (last year of high school), so I'll probably be updating slower than in the holidays, butI hope I'll get this finished soon! Just enough chapters to tie up all the loose ends now...Anyway, hope you all like this new chapter, and please review!**

* * *

Four o'clock, Friday. It was the day. And I, Kristy Mathews, was nervous. I hadn't expected to be, but now that it was time for everybody to arrive I was pacing the kitchen anxiously. It didn't help that I was also irritated that James had rung half an hour ago to say he wasn't going to make it in time. He promised he'd be home as soon as possible, but since he had also promised he would be home in the first place I wasn't going to hold my breath. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I looked at the clock. 4:01. Close enough I supposed.

I opened the door. Standing on the step was Shannon. She was wearing black pants, and a cream colour tailored jacket over a pale blue shirt. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail. She also had a light dusting of makeup on. I immediately felt frumpy in comparison. Maybe I should have gone for something a little more dressy than a blouse and a pair of jeans.

"Hi Kristy," She said with a small smile. "Who else is here?"

"No one," I replied. "You're the first."

Shannon's smile shrank a bit. My anxiety kicked up a level. This had not been a good idea. We were all going to sit in total silence all weekend. We wouldn't have anything in common anymore. It was going to be a complete –

"Kristy! Shannon! Hi!" Coming up the path was Mary Anne, holding a small boy by the hand. Following her was a man carrying a wee girl (her husband, I assumed) and Dawn, holding the hands of two more children. Mary Anne was wearing a dark red skirt with a white shirt. She had a small amount of makeup on too. I guess we were all feeling the need to make a good impression. Dawn, on the other hand was wearing a t shirt and jeans. And no makeup.

"Oh my gosh!" Mary Anne exclaimed! "I haven't seen you guys for so long!"

At that moment, a car pulled up the drive. Seeing Abby climb out, followed by 2 more kids (and her husband), I realised I'd better take charge.

"I've got four babysitters lined up for tonight." I announced. "Emily Michelle and Eleanor Marshall are upstairs, ready to take the babies. Lucy Newton and Marnie Barrett are out back to take anyone over three."

Dawn stared at me. "You just couldn't have one unorganized minute could you?" She said, shaking her head.

Mary Anne started leading her son round the back. She looked towards Dawn's children and said "Come on, River, Stormiee Skye. Follow me." My jaw dropped. So did Shannon's.

"_River?_" I said incredulously. "You named your children _River_ and _Stormiee Skye_?"

Dawn lifted her chin, looking like she was about to retort angrily. But we were interrupted by Abby and her family.

"Hi guys," Abby said, sounding tired. She looked tired too. She was very pale, with huge bags under her eyes. Not at all the Abby I remembered from High School. "This is my husband Josef, and son Jonathan. The baby is Adva," She added.

"Abby!" Dawn exclaimed. "You look awful! I bet it's all the additives and processed food - "

Abby interrupted her. "I did not come here to be hassled about my diet," she snapped. "If I'm going to spend this weekend being insulted and lectured, I'm going home right now."

Before Dawn could reply to that, Shannon jumped in to defuse the situation.

"And I didn't come here to stand around on Kristy's doorstep." She said with a smile. "How about we head inside?"


	13. Chapter 13 Shannon

**A/N: Sorry there's been such a period between updates. I've had a huge geography assignment for the past couple of weeks and didn't have any time to do any more on this. But hopefully I never have to think about Global Tourism Patterns again and I can update more regularly! This is pretty short, but I think most of my chapters are! Please read and review. **

**Also, I'd like to apologise to Liberty Ferall, for offending her with my portrayal of Mallory. As I said in my message to her, I wasn't trying to imply ALL large families are like that, and nor was I trying to say that Mallory's life is always like that. And I'm very sorry if that's what anyone has interpreted from my story. **

**

* * *

**

Standing on Kristy's doorstep I wanted to turn around and run home. _Three days._ I reminded myself. _You can handle three days. _I'd told my parents three days was all I could get off from work. In truth, Élodie was perfectly able to cover all the duties assigned to us for both Monday and Tuesday. But I had told my boss that I'd be back for work on Tuesday morning. We were spending 2 weeks in New York, which was very convenient for the reunion. So, I had arrived in Stoneybrook half an hour ago, after a two hour train journey from the hotel in New York. I realised as I got off the train that in my business suit, I looked far too formal for meeting the others. So I rushed to my parent's house, changed, and then headed over to Kristy's.

I had expected to be late because of trying to answer all Mom and Dad's questions in the brief half hour I had with them but the house looked empty as I walked up to it. Luckily more of the ex-members arrived soon after me, and after avoiding an argument between Dawn and Abby we headed inside.

"Anyone want a cup of coffee?" Kristy asked as we headed in. "We weren't supposed to start it till everyone was here but I suppose no one will mind if we - "

"I'll have tea thanks," I interrupted, before Kristy could reel off the whole schedule. "I've gotten so used to French coffee I'm not sure I could handle American."

An awkward silence followed as we smiled edgily at each other. Mary Anne and Abby's husbands hung back a little as we headed into the kitchen. Kristy was getting out coffee and tea when Mary Anne came into the room followed by Jessi. She was swinging along on crutches, and didn't look particularly thrilled to be here either.

"Hi," she said, switching her left crutch to her right hand and pulling out a chair, before dropping gracefully into it. "I note you're not giving me the dreaded look, Kristy, even though I am," (she glanced at her watch and gasped in mock horror.) "10 minutes late!"

Kristy grinned. "I'm reserving that for the last person here." She joked. We laughed. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"So, how's your knee, Jessi?" Mary Anne, ever the kind and caring one, asked.

Jessi grimaced. "Sore," she replied. "Not as bad as it was right after the surgery though. I should be off my crutches soon."

The doorbell rang again before anyone could say anything. Kristy got up and went to answer it. A moment later she came into the room followed by Mallory.

"Right," said Kristy before anyone could say anything. "Claudia and Stacey are both coming later. About 9 or 10. Claudia's gone up to New York. I think Stacey's introducing Claud to her boyfriend. So we've got a few hours to fill in before we can officially start."

I caught Abby's eye at that point and could tell she was thinking the same thing I was. How official was this thing going to be?


	14. Chapter 14 Mary Anne

**Lo and behold! Another update! It's been a long time coming, and once again its very short. But as soon as I post this I'm off to write the next chapter which will be longer, and full of drama. Thanks for all the reviews guys - keep them coming, and I'll keep the chapters coming.**

* * *

We all sat and looked at each other. It was strange to think that years ago we would have been talking over the top of each other, cutting in and interrupting, and now we couldn't think of anything to say. I guess that's what happens after so long. Finally, I realised that no one else was going to say anything, so I cleared my throat and ventured –

"How was your flight Shannon?"

I knew she'd actually flown in a few days ago, but it seemed as good a conversation starter as any.

"Fine." Shannon replied. "I keep thinking I'm used to all the traveling I do, but every time I have to travel back to America I'm surprised at how long the flight is. I guess I've just gotten used to traveling around Europe."

"I got the impression from your mom that you didn't come back here very often though?" Kristy interrupted.

Shannon glanced at her hands, then looked back up and said, "America's a big country. I can't get home every time I come here."

My husband David jumped in here and asked Kristy where her bathroom was. By the time she had returned from showing him, Shannon and Jessi were discussing a ballet Shannon had seen in France, and I was chatting with Abby. Abby seemed oddly distracted, but I put it down to the tenseness around us. The door bell rang again, announcing the arrival of Mallory and William. Mrs Pike was looking after the kids since we didn't know what time we'd be heading to our respective accommodation. Kristy's words, not mine. The afternoon passed quickly, discussing random topics as they came up. Kristy's husband came home just before Logan arrived.

James was full of charming apologies over his lateness, but I could tell Kristy was still annoyed about it. Logan arrived before anything could be said, and there was a slight awkward silence as he came through the door. Kristy and Claudia had passed on the news of Logan's career and boyfriend to all of us, and I think we were wondering what exactly to expect. However, all the conversation with Logan centered around his acting. At last, at about seven, the doorbell signaled the last of our arrivals. James went to let Claudia and Stacey in, while Kristy headed out to the kitchen to put the final touches on the meal.


	15. Chapter 15 Stacey

**I can't believe how long it's been since I updated this thing! Thanks to all who reviewed even when it wans't being updated. Guess I've just been lazy! Ok, here's the chapter i promised would be full of drama. Hope it lives up to expectations. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own any BSC characters. **

As Claudia and I stood on Kristy's doorstep, we were still discussing Jay.

"He's so handsome and charming, and athletic and cute…" Claudia sighed. "He's so, _everything_." she added as she pressed the doorbell.

We heard someone call inside "James, can you answer that?"

The door opened.

"Hi, you must be – Stacey?"

My mouth dropped. "Jay?" I asked.

At that moment Kristy came to the door as well. She put her arm around Jay's waist. "I see you've met my husband."

"You could say that." Claudia said. I didn't say anything. I couldn't. As for Jay, he looked almost as horrified as I felt. Kristy ushered us all inside, but Jay drew back as she entered the living room. He grabbed my arm and whispered as Claudia headed in

"Don't say anything. Please. After this weekend, then we can talk." I followed Claudia in without looking at him. All around me, everyone was chatting furiously, catching up on all the years they'd missed. I sat in an armchair, watching it all. Well, watching Jay mainly. He seemed so confident, gliding around the room, mingling with his guests, just as I'd seen him in New York at parties with me. He was totally sure I'd keep his secret for him, let the weekend go on uninterrupted, but I wasn't sure if I would. Could I sit quietly by while my boyfriend played happy families with his wife in front of me? I tried to catch Claudia's eye, hoping to get a chance to discuss it with her. As Kristy came up beside Jay – I _couldn't_ think of him as James – Claudia glanced up at last. She stood and then said, "I think I'll go get some fresh air."

I jumped up hurriedly. "I'll join you!"

Outside, I paced up and down the path to the front door. "What am I supposed to do?" I demanded.

Claudia stood on the porch, watching me. "I don't know, Stace." She said quietly. "Maybe you could just mention it to Kristy? Then it's up to her whether she – "

"But what if she doesn't believe I didn't know? That he was married?"

"That who was married?" I whirled around. Abby had joined Claudia on the porch. Claudia looked at me.

"No one. Don't worry about it." I said.

Abby frowned. Then she sat down on the porch steps and said "This isn't really working out like we thought huh?"

Claudia nodded. "Maybe we're just too different." She offered. Abby sighed.

"Maybe. I guess I was just hoping it would be just like back in school again. I think I thought that if…" She trailed off.

"If what?" I asked.

She sighed again. "That if we could be like we were before, maybe everything else would be like it was before too."

We looked at her, unsure of what she meant. She smiled slightly.

"I'm not making any sense am I?" she said.

"Not really." Claudia commented.

Abby shook her head. "I don't understand myself either these days."

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing for the first time that Abby didn't look particularly well or happy.

Abby smiled. "I'll tell you if you tell me," she offered.

I paused. Everyone was going to find out sooner or later weren't they? I might as well start explaining now. I took a deep breath.

"See, I've sort of met Jay - " I paused, then corrected myself. "James before. Um…we were kind of dating. I didn't know he was married," I added quickly. "Let alone to _Kristy_."

Abby looked at me. I braced myself for the barricade of whys, whens and hows. But she didn't say anything. She just nodded slowly.

"Well?" I asked, sure she was just holding back to be nice. "Come on, tell me what a horrible person I am."

"Stacey." She began. "You're not."

"Huh? But I slept with a married man!" For some strange reason, I felt even worse now that Abby wasn't yelling at me. I guess I wanted some sort of punishment for what I'd done.

"Stacey, you didn't _know_ he was married. If you had known, then yeah, that would be an awful thing to do. But you're just another innocent victim how I see it. James is the horrible one."

"Abby's right." Claudia put in.

I shrugged. "I still feel…responsible though."

Abby nodded again. "I guess that's normal. So, are you going to tell Kristy?"

I paused again. "Jay asked me not to."

Abby looked at me sternly. "You can't let him decide."

"But I don't want to ruin this weekend for Kristy." I protested.

"Ok." Abby said, "And don't worry, I won't say anything."

I nodded, feeling slightly relieved at having told someone else.

"So," Claudia started. "What's up with you?"

Abby didn't say anything. She looked at her hands for a while then looked up at us.

"I have breast cancer." She said quietly.

Claudia and I didn't say anything. Suddenly my problem didn't sound so big after all. Finally Claudia broke the silence by asking,

"What's your…um…"She seemed to be searching for the right word.

"Prognosis?" I supplied.

Abby looked at her hands again. "I don't know. I have an appointment with my doctor when I get home. He should be able to tell me more then."

And at that Abby, strong, cheerful Abby burst into tears. I sat down and put my arm around her. Neither me nor Claudia said anything. Nothing seemed adequate. We sat in silence for a long time, then Abby said

"I feel so bad that I can't cope with this. I'll be making dinner, or in a meeting at work or something and I'll have to run and lock myself in the bathroom to cry."

"Abby, if I had cancer I wouldn't even be attempting to make dinner or going to work." Claudia said. "I'd be at home curled in a ball under my blankets all day. Crying's normal. It's not a sign of weakness. I wouldn't have come to this reunion either."

Abby looked up at us. "But when my grandmother was being diagnosed with cancer she _organized_ a party, without telling anyone what was going on."

"You are not in competition with your grandmother, Abby." I said as gently as I could.

Abby shrugged. "See, I told you guys I wasn't making any sense these days." And with that, she got up and walked back inside. Abby never did like talking about serious stuff.


	16. Chapter 16 Jessi

**Finally, another update! Surprising revelation in store this chapter...hope you all enjoy it!**

I lay in bed in Kristy's guest bedroom and stared at the ceiling. This reunion hadn't turned out how I'd expected. I'd sort of imagined it was going to be like a weekend long babysitters club meeting, except we'd all be older. And I'd thought it would take my mind off the abrupt end to my dancing career, but instead it was making me think of it more and more. First there was Abby, talking about her company, Long Island Community Sports Program, which provided equipment and coaching to schools that couldn't provide it on their own. And Shannon, discussing the challenges of interpreting and the difference between it and translating (and why she preferred interpreting), Claudia explaining the thrill of helping children understand something new, Stacey jumping in with the excitement of having a hand in deciding what people will be wearing next season. And then there was me, with no direction whatsoever.

Deciding I wasn't going to get to sleep anytime soon, I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs. I was going to go to the kitchen and get a drink, but as I walked down the hall I saw light spilling out from the den. I pushed the half open door wide and saw Logan, still dressed, sitting on the couch. He had a magazine open in his lap and was reading it with a slight frown on his face. I was about to leave when he looked up and saw me.

"You can come in," He smiled. "I won't bite."

I smiled back. "Couldn't sleep huh? Me neither. I don't know why – I've gotten used to sleeping in strange places traveling with the company…" I trailed off, remembering I wouldn't be doing that anymore.

Logan smiled again. "I think we all just feel slightly uncomfortable with each other. That might be it."

I nodded. "And you especially," I agreed. "With the whole…thing…you know…" I fumbled, not sure how to put it.

Logan frowned again. "What thing?"

"Well…Claudia told us about seeing you on that talk show…when they asked about you and Parker?"

Logan nodded. "I'm still not sure what you're getting at. Ok, me and Parker are dating…but why would that make me uncomfortable? Everyone else is with someone too."

I nodded, eager to reassure him that despite what I had said to him before I fully supported his lifestyle choice. "It's good you don't see any difference." I said enthusiastically. "Because there's really not. Well there is, but it doesn't really matter."

Logan still looked confused. He stood up, dropping the magazine onto the coffee table, open to the article he'd been reading. _David Lowe's Love Triangle_ was splashed across the top of the two pages.

"I think I'll head to bed."

The next morning, I woke early and wandered into the den again. Logan's magazine was still open on the table. I picked it up and skimmed the article about David Lowe. I was trying to work out who David Lowe was, and why he was famous enough to have his love life in the headlines, (it was rumored he'd cheated on his girlfriend with her room mate of all people), when I flipped to the front cover and realized it was an English magazine. Figuring he was some English celebrity I'd never heard of I opened the magazine to a random page and my eye fell on a little snippet about the cannabis addiction of Parker Crowe. I paused, thinking the name was familiar, then decided I must be confusing it with Parker Lowe, Logan's significant other. I left the magazine in the den and wandered into the kitchen. As I was looking for the coffee, the doorbell rang. Figuring it was one of the other ex BSC members I abandoned my search and went to let them in.

However, on the doorstep was a dark haired woman in a black coat and sunglasses. She smiled uncertainly at me, not removing her glasses.

"Hi, I'm looking for Logan Bruno." She said in a distinctly English accent. Taken aback, I stared blankly at her.

"Perhaps I've got the wrong house." Her smile was fading. "Is this um…" She looked at a slip of paper in her hand. "Kristy Mathews' house?"

"Yes. Yes it is." I said recovering hurriedly. "Yes, Logan's here. Would you mind telling me, um, who you are?" I knew I was being rude, and though I was sure there was a more polite way of saying that, but it was too early for my brain to work properly.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't introduce myself. How appalling rude of me." The woman smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Parker Lowe. And you must be Kristy? Or one of the other club members?"

"Parker Lowe?" I repeated. "_You're_ Parker? And you're dating Logan?"

Her smile disappeared. "Yes, I'm Parker. And as for me dating Logan – I don't think that's any of your business. Now, can I see him?"

I recovered enough to step back and let her into the house. "I think he's still in bed." I managed to say. "Do you want a cup of coffee or something while you wait?"

Parker nodded wordlessly and followed me into Kristy's kitchen. Shannon was already there, poking round in the refrigerator. She looked up as I entered.

"Morning, Jessi." She said, her eyes flicking curiously over the newcomer.

"This is Logan's girlfriend, Parker." I said, gesturing behind me. "Parker, this is Shannon Kilbourne."

Parker smiled slightly. "Nice to meet you," she murmured politely.

Just after we'd settled in around the table with cups of coffee, Logan wandered in.

"Parker!" he exclaimed. "I thought you weren't coming?" He bent over and kissed her briefly on the cheek.

"Yes, well." She paused. "I'm sure you've heard about David. I didn't fancy having the press ringing me constantly, asking if all the rumors were true. I figured no one would ever expect me to be here, so here I am."

Shannon was staring idly out the window, though her gaze came back to rest on Parker and Logan occasionally. Realizing she wasn't about to leap into the conversation and find out what on earth was going on, I tried to figure out the best way of phrasing my questions. However, it turned out I didn't have to.

Kristy came in to the kitchen before I said anything. And not being the most tactful person in the world, the first words out of her mouth after being introduced to Parker were, "But I thought you were gay?"

Logan looked disconcerted and slightly affronted at this suggestion, while Parker went off into peals of laughter.

"But why?" sputtered Logan.

Kristy was beginning to look a bit uncomfortable now, perhaps realizing she'd been incredibly rude.

"It's just that when Claud saw you on that talk show, and told me about it she said that you implied you were dating some English actor. Parker Lowe." Kristy explained, then hurried on. "But perhaps Claudia made a mistake…" She trailed off.

Parker started to laugh again. "I think," she said, trying unsuccessfully to control her giggles, "that she may have mixed me up with Parker Crowe. He's an English actor – though I don't think he'd be too interested in Logan!"

Shannon had given up all attempts at being uninterested now. We were all staring dumbfounded at Parker. Suddenly Shannon started to laugh too. Kristy and I turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry," she smiled, recovering herself. "I was just thinking of everyone's reactions when they're introduced to Logan's girlfriend."

"You mean you _all_ think I'm gay?" Logan exclaimed, not sounding too happy at the prospect.

Parker began to chuckle again. "Maybe I should have stayed home. Then they could have kept thinking it."

Logan looked even more affronted. "I don't see what's so funny about it." He snapped. Parker grinned.

"Not too secure about your masculinity are you?" she teased.

"So, did you fly all the way over from England?" Shannon broke into the conversation. "It's an awfully long way to come to meet your boyfriend's old friends."

Parker looked wary. "Well…yes." She said reluctantly, as if not wanting to discuss her reasons for coming any further. I saw Logan glance at her quickly, before saying loudly,

"So, breakfast…"


	17. Chapter 17 Logan

"Do I look like a gay guy to you?" I asked worriedly, peering into the mirror in the bathroom. Yes, I was hiding out in the bathroom, talking on the phone like some teenager desperate for their parents not hear about the boys they liked. Hang on, that's not a good analogy in this situation. I mean, desperate for their parents not to hear about the hot girl in their English class. Yeah, that's it. Anyway, I was holed up in the bathroom with the shower running, talking on my mobile. The reason I couldn't talk in the open? I was talking to David. Parker's brother. Understandably, David was not on her good list at the moment. And I knew she would see this phone call as a betrayal. She takes herself a bit too seriously sometimes. I didn't see how her loyalty could be towards her brother's girlfriend, Maura, rather than the boy she'd grown up with. If the Lowes had just been your average family, maybe it wouldn't have mattered too much. But the son of Lord David Lowe Senior can't put a foot wrong without the media leaping on the story and splashing it about the headlines. And neither can his daughter. Ever since being photographed slightly "the worse for wear" (to quote her mother), outside a London nightclub, Parker's been careful to stay out of the public eye. Unfortunately, her brother hasn't managed to do the same.

"Logan!" David snapped. "I have bigger things to worry about than your looks."

I sighed. "We'll get back to that. Ok, explain yourself."

"It would have been ok if they hadn't found out." He whined.

"It would have been ok if you hadn't done it at all." I retorted, while still looking at my self in the mirror. Did I _sound_ gay?

"If Belinda had just kept her mouth shut, rather than telling all her mates in a damn pub, right behind Glenda Stone, Maura would never have found out!"

Glenda Stone, gossip columnist extraordinaire. She was the one to break the story about me and Parker, which earned her eternal hatred from my reserved girlfriend. This was only going to make it worse. Envisioning yet more evenings ahead where Parker would moan about the woman, I went back to studying my reflection. Did I _act_ gay?

"And then of course Maura confronted me," David continued. "And I couldn't lie to her face. And besides, Belinda probably would have told _her_ too, and then it would have been even worse if I had lied about it. And I tried to say it didn't mean anything, but she didn't believe me!"

I was astounded at how much of a spoilt brat he sounded. He was in the wrong here, not the rest of us. "Look, I better go." I broke in. "I've been in the bathroom for a while; I don't want her getting suspicious." I was even more astounded when the sound of sobs came over the line.

"I love her, Logan." He gasped between sobs. "I need to get her back."

"Sometimes that's not enough, David." I said as gently as possible. "I better go."

Out in the hallway, I ran into Parker. "Do I look gay to you?" I demanded.

She sighed. "Logan if you looked gay to me, we wouldn't be dating. You've asked me that question every ten minutes for the past two hours. Now get over it."

She shoved past me into the bathroom. Deciding it was best to leave her alone I wandered into the den.

Kristy, Stacey and Shannon were sitting around chatting. They looked up as I walked in, then continued their conversation.

I tuned out and glanced over Kristy's bookshelf. She had a lot of sports books and not much else. As I pulled out Jack Brewster's biography, I was jerked back to the conversation at hand when Shannon asked me why Parker had come rushing over from the UK.

"Her brother…" I started tentatively, knowing how mad Parker would be about me spilling her family's business. Then I shrugged, figuring that in the big picture three more people knowing didn't really matter. "He cheated on his girlfriend. And Parker's parents are well known over there, so it was all over the magazines. Especially because Maura's well known too – she's represented England in track. And she's a lot more popular with the public than David, so he's getting some pretty bad press. And a lot of them were asking Parker for comments and she just wanted to get away from it I guess."

Stacey looked up with interest. "Is Maura mad?" she inquired, sounding surprisingly hesitant.

"Well, yeah. Her boyfriend slept with her best friend. She's pretty angry."

"Have they broken up?" Stacey continued.

"I think so." I replied. "David didn't want to - he said it was meaningless, but she didn't believe it."

Stacey paled. "He said it was meaningless?" She repeated. "Then why would he do it?" She sounded over sensitive to the whole issue, seeing as how it concerned people she'd never met before.

Kristy interrupted then. "I think it's pretty stupid of her to dump him like that." She said scornfully. "It takes two to break up a relationship, just like it takes two to make it work. She should have given him another chance."

Stacey looked at Kristy, looking slightly less upset than before. "So if someone cheated on you…" She said tentatively, "you wouldn't dump them?"

"Not necessarily." Kristy replied.

"And what about the woman he cheated with?" Stacey asked, as if the question had far more meaning then she was letting on.

Kristy laughed. "I would hunt them down and kill them."

Stacey paled. Standing up hurriedly, she disappeared out of the den.

The rest of us looked at each other, mystified.


	18. Chapter 18 Kristy

**Sorry for huge delay in update - school gets in the way sometimes!**

Wondering what on earth was wrong with Stacey, I decided to go back to what I do best – organizing. I'd get Claudia to talk to Stace later.

"So everyone else is due over here in about half an hour and we'll have a group catch-up session before lunch. Is that ok with everyone?"

Sometimes it pays to be democratic. Shannon and Logan nodded, but didn't show a lot of interest. Shrugging, I got up and headed upstairs. At the top I met James, who had only just got out of bed.

"I need to talk to you," he said, sounding tired and sort of resigned.

"I need to talk to you too," I replied, thinking of what I'd discovered that morning.

"Can I go first?" James asked. "I want to get it over with." Opening the door to our bedroom he added, "Let's go in here. It's more private."

Wondering what on earth he couldn't say to me at the top of the stairs I followed him in.

We stood there looking at each other. He cleared his throat, opened his mouth then closed it silently.

"This morning -" I started.

"Wait." He interrupted. "I need to go first." He went quiet again. I tried to wait patiently.

"See, the thing is…"

"Yes?"

"Well…"

"Come on," I said briskly, hoping he wouldn't see how worried I was. "Out with it."

"I…" Seeing my impatient face he hurried on. "I don't think this is working."

"You don't think what's working?" I asked, my anxiety increasing.

James took a deep breath. "It's not you…really. But I can't do this anymore. I've…I've met…"

"You've met someone else." It's not a question. I know. Suddenly it's all so obvious. The late nights, the business trips, the nights he never bothered coming home at all. How could I not have ever become suspicious before? If there's one thing my father taught me it's that you can't always trust the ones you love.

"Who?" I ask. Flatly. It doesn't matter. I don't really want to know who my husband has chosen over me.

"St -" he starts to say, but I stop him.

"I don't want to know."

"Kristy, I'm so sorry, I didn't do it on purpose, really." He reaches out his hand. I turn away.

"Get out." It is said quietly, but it is enough to make him leave.

Slowly I pull from my pocket this morning's discovery. Two thin red lines stare back at me. I hurl it at the wall. It makes a small thump then falls to the floor.

Shit.

I reach over and pick up the phone, blindly dialing the number of the only person I want to talk to right now.

"Hello, Elizabeth Brewer speaking."

"Mom, it's me."

"Kristy! I didn't expect to hear from you until after this weekend! How's the reunion going?"

I pause. I'm not sure I want to talk about it after all. "I think…" I trail off. Then I take a deep breath and start again.

"I think James has left me." There is silence at the other end. Then Mom says quietly,

"Do you want me to come over?"

"Wait, there's more." I reply. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh Kristy," my mother sighs. I cannot tell if she is disappointed in me or just in how things turned out. I want to tell her it's not my fault but I can't. Maybe it is. Maybe if I had done things differently James wouldn't have done what he did. And if I hadn't come off the pill without telling him…

"Things weren't working too well," I admit. "But I thought we could sort things out. I thought a baby would help, so I stopped taking the pill."

"Oh Kristy," Mom sighs again. This time I know she's disappointed in me. Then she laughs ruefully and adds, "Guess you learnt your relationship skills from your old mother huh?"

I stop. "What?"

This time it is my mother who pauses, weighing up how much to say.

"I thought that…" she begins. "I hoped that David Michael would save my marriage to your father. But your father left anyway. Maybe it gained us a few more months, but…" she trails off.

I sit in shocked silence for a minute or so, then venture "But you always said you didn't know why Dad left..." I stop.

"Are you going to tell your child that it's only around because you thought they would save your marriage?" she asks me. I have to admit I won't.

There's a sudden knocking at the door. I know it's James.

"I don't want to talk to you!" I yell. The door opens undaunted, so I pick up my pillow and hurl it at him. I am surprised when it is Mary Anne who pokes her head into the room and says hesitantly,

"Everyone has arrived now, you should probably come downstairs."


End file.
